The goal of the Scientific Core is to support the Investigators of the Program Project in a manner that will facilitate their research in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The Scientific Core consists of four sub-Cores including Photography, Tissue Culture, Histology and Molecular Biology. The Photography Core provide high quality and convenient photographic services. The head photographer and a part- time assistant consistently produce high quality slides, negatives and photographs for day-to-day analysis as well as publication purposes. The Tissue Culture Core acts as a central source of vascular cells including large and microvessel endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells and pericytes. The lead technician has nearly two decades of experience in vascular cell culture. This core is economical with respect to both supplies and labor since tissue culture is at the heart of many of the studies proposed in this application. This Histology Core provides a centralized facility for the processing of histological specimens. Processing tissues, and cutting and stain sections is a labor- intensive undertaking that requires significant training. The lead technician has extensive experience in all aspects of histology and microscopy and has been invaluable to the seeral of the Program Project components. The Molecular Biology Core has facilitated the sharing of resources associated with molecular analyses including expensive and/or rare restricition enzymes, unusual cDNA libraries and short-lived radioisotopes. Not only is this arrangement convenient and economical but it to foster further interaction among the Program Project investigators. As a group, these four sub-cores which make up the Scientific Core of the Program Project, have provided reliable, high quality services and reagents in cost-effective and efficient manner, and in doing so have facilitate the research of the individual investigators.